The Oklahoma Daily (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 91, No. 55, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 2, 2006 Page: 4 of 14
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Opinion
4
Thursday, Nov. 2,2006
Odie Freeman, economics sophomore
STAFF CARTOON
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ringing in its ears.
YOUR VIEWS
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ZAMAN
Ashiq Zaman is a biochemistry junior. His
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Disney column did not address
students, not appropriate for college
Democracy threatened by voter
indifference, misplaced political focus
but in those rare instances when
they do, you can bet your Jello
mold that it's not going to be said
William W Savage III
Grant Slater
k>»h Mciiee
Jarrel Wade
Zach West
Mano Ratwatte
Management information systems Instructor
Chase Healey
Advertising senior
you to vote.
“If you try to win an election, get-
ting a huge turnout only matters if
they are turning out for you,” said
Michael Clingman, secretary of the
Oidahoma State Election Board.
And, franidy, as we approach
the culmination of another rous-
ing campaign season, both parties
seem pretty certain of and content
with who is going to show up to
the polls Tuesday.
Allowing citizens to register up
to and through election day would
only increase turnout of those who
truly care enough to go through
the whole process that day.
Unfortunately Oklahoma’s elec-
Ofxnton Editor
Photo Editor
ABE Editor
Hub Editor
Advertising Manager
Editorial Adviser
MUNIM
DEEN
conducted by N1H is public domain (PubMed.
org grants free access to thousands of NIH-
means is simply donating money an acceptable
substitute for physically working with a cause.
The basic reason why monetary donations
don’t work as a substitute is that the human ele-
ment cannot be replaced.
Consider the example of Habitat for Humanity,
a group well known for building houses for
deserving families that cannot afford them. Even
Unfortunately, that marketplace tends to grab
hold of ideas and attach labels of ownership
which eventually make the process of producing
and distributing life-saving medications more
difficult.
aiding in rescue efforts. If you can only donate,
then by all means, donate all that you can.
If you can, however, give not only your money,
but your time and strength as well.
Not only will you yourself be closer to the situa-
tion and individuals that you are seeking to help,
but because of your personal involvement, you
will also derive a level of satisfaction from your
ing in a check.
The sacrifices made in earning and writing the
amount on the check simply pale in comparison
to those made in the course of donating physical
efforts.
Charity has evolved, keeping pace with human
advancements in society, economy and, of
Lindsay Hodges, opinion editor
dailyopinion@ou.edu
phone: 325-7630, fax: 325-6051
Fueling hub.ou.edu
I’m writing this letter in concern to the article
“Disney's Achy Breaky Show" by Calvin Son.
I found this article to be an insult to the Gaylord
College of Journalism and Mass Communication, as
well as The Daily.
If The Daily ever wants to be viewed as a credible
news source, it must do a better job to filter poorly-
written, irrelevant articles.
In his piece “Disney's Achy Breaky Show" about one
of Disney's new sitcoms, Son did a wonderful job of
hitting the issues kids want to read about.
The article, at no point, brings up anything relevant
to college students.
I'm a little confused with the point he is trying to
make on scarves, or what he was trying to say by, what
seems to be an intentional misquote of Coolio.
Beyond that, words like “butt soldier” and talking
about “poop" in a college newspaper just won’t fly.
1 ask the editor of The Daily to please focus on arti-
cles that are appropriate for a college newspaper, or at
least fill the wasted space with paid advertisements.
Editor’s note: The Daffy will be accepting letters
to the editor that address political campaigns, races
and parties through Thursday, with the last letters
about specific races or parties printed in Friday’s
edition. Please see “The Fine Print" below for
instructions on letters.
Editor
Managing Editor
Night Editor
Atmtant Managing Editor
Sport* Editor
Lindsay Hodges
Krysten Sanders
Sarah I al
Stacy Swan
Brandt Smith
Jack Willis
to multimillion-dollar gifts given by high-profile
celebrities and anonymous donors to numerous
causes and groups.
Believe me when I say that no charitable organi-
zation will ever refuse money.
160 Copeland Hall
860 Van Vleet Oval
Norman, Okla.
73019-0270
phon*:
(405) 325 3666
•-mail:
dailynewspou.edu
photo identification. Submit letters Sundays through
Thursdays, in 160 Copeland Hall.
Cuatt column* are accepted at editor's discretion.
“Our Vtar* is the voice at The Oklahoma Daily.
Edttmtf Board members are The Day* editorial staff
The board meets 1 pjn. Sundays in
160 Copeland Hall
Cohmmirta' oplnioaa are not necessarily the
opinions of The Doily or the Editorial Board.
►OUR VIEW
is an editorial
selected and debated
by the editonal board
and written after a
maturity opinion is
formed and approved
by the editor Our
View is 7he Daily s
official opinion
This is in regard to your stories on Democrats and
Republicans.
The cause of democracy is served only when politi-
cians are asked to explain record high deficits, brib-
ery, no-bid scandals and wars launched on lies with
the same vigor as holding a president responsible for
his personal moral failings.
Why are the self-righteous more obsessed with fel-
latio than corruption, fiscal irresponsibility and the
killing of tens of thousands of innocents in the wrong
war?
Today, democracy is threatened by those claiming
to have a theistic monopoly, who have copyrighted
God for their own sinister purposes by demonizing
opponents.
Legislators hiding behind a deity are a bigger threat
to democracy than others because they get away with
their lies, corruption and scandals by sinisterly invok-
ing God.
Democracy is the voter’s sacred right and obligation
and not a monopoly of the two parties. Democracy is
served when Congress does not abdicate its duty to
the Constitution.
It is threatened when legislators roll over and act
as mouth pieces/rubber stamps for the executive like
some Third World dictatorship.
America’s democracy is threatened by gross voter
indifference. Democracy is served best when regard-
less of party affiliation, we, the voters, hold crooked,
lying politicians accountable for their actions: Voters
have the final moral authority to do so.
Jesus tossed out the moneychangers, cattle buyers
and dove sellers and did not sanction hypocrisy.
independent
Newsroom Directory
Thursday.
0 K L A n 0
OUR VIEW
Registration should
have no deadline
71
«
or probably as long as humans have
I—< walked the earth, some form of charity
x. has existed. Early on, it was likely moti-
vated by survival, with abler members of clans
helping out those in need to ensure a stronger
clan overall.
Later, as political, social and economic systems
became more developed, distinct social classes
also came about.
With these classes, the differences between
those more fortunate and less
fortunate grew more and more
pronounced. Whether as genu-
ine aid, social facade or political
maneuver, the poor received
aid periodically from the richer
upper classes. This was espe-
cially the case among the reli-
gious: Most religions required,
and still require, almsgiving of
its members. Examples of this
include tithing in Christian
denominations and zakat in
Islam. The great majority of reli-
gious almsgiving was done and is done in terms
of money.
For the majority of people, donations make
up the bulk of non-religious charitable activi-
ties, as well. It's hardly a surprise, since donating
1 understand 1 sound somewhat hypocritical in
saying public-sector scientists should be allowed
to pursue independent, private-sector projects.
The logic is counterintuitive.
Essentially, the job of NIH administration
ought to be to promote the interests of its scien-
tists while maintaining the highest standard of
research possible.
The research staff of the NIH, in my opinion, is
strikingly similar to the roster of a sports enter-
I scientists have considered leaving public service prise. They make up the greatest asset and core
I to pursue more lucrative opportunities.
| In a recent online survey conducted by the
ASHIQ NIH, some 18 percent of its nearly 16,000 active
researchers are considering full-time employ-
ment in the private sector as a result of the
recent administrative changes.
This is most disheartening especially from
of NIH activity, and as such, should be main-
tained as happy and inspired workers.
The question is no longer whether publicsec-
tor researchers ought to have autonomous proj
ects, but rather how much we are willing to give
up. The federal government certainly needs a
medical research arm to maintain public owner
ship of medically oriented intellectual property.
Without such, we submit ourselves to the rigor-
ous and mostly unforgiving nature of the mar-
funded project papers), scientists doing research ketplace.
there have a harder time developing proprietary
products.
Conversely) the private sector is ridden with
patents and secret formulae which are far
beyond the reach of concerned individuals.
One might even consider the recent policy
changes of the NIH to be a sizeable dent in the
progress of the open scientific community. After column appears every other Thursday.
capital. Even for an organization run completely
by volunteers, permits must be purchased, and
often liability insurance must be maintained.
For organizations that provide food and other
supplies, the amount of money required increases
exponentially. Everything they provide — every
article of clothing every item of food — must be
obtained somewhere. More often than not, it is
purchased on the open market, albeit at reduced work that is virtually unattainable by simply mail -
rates.
Monetary donations are essential to keep chari-
ties functioning and useful.
There is absolutely no problem with these
donations or those that donate in this way. On
the contrary — they are to be commended for
helping by doing what they can do. This should
not, however, be considered all they can do. By no course, prosperity.
Because of both the large amounts of dispos-
able wealth among the wealthier social strata and
the ease with which virtually any cause can be
supported, charitable activity is more dominant
now than ever before in history.
Unfortunately, it is also arguable that most of
that activity in our fast-paced, online-banking-
infused world is of the monetary type. Of course
if an unlimited amount were donated in cash and that money is being well-utilized, but something
very important is being taken out of the picture
— die crucial human element
It is this that gives meaning to sacrificing of self
to help others, to give with open arms to a total
stranger, to the sheer joy of volunteering
And that is something a donation of money,
no matter how great, will never be able to truly
emulate.
• •
” TteOMaftomo Doty is a public fbrum and OUA
C independent student voice
‘u latter* should concentrate on issues, not
personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words,
2 typed, double spaced and signed by the authors).
- Letters will be cut to fit Students must list their major
9 and classification. (XI staff and faculty must list thew
X title. AH letters must include a daytime phone numbar.
*“ Authors submitting letters In person must present
STAFF COLUMN
Charities need more than checks
T chuckled slightly during my most recent
I visit to the doctor’s office.
X I hadn’t recalled a funny joke or imag-
ined a grizzly bear majestically skiing down a
mountain. Rather, my laughter was the result
of an awkwardly placed Pepto-Bismol calendar
hanging over the examination table.
What right-minded person
suffering from mild to severe
gastrointestinal discomfort
would be persuaded by a tacky
calendar? In my very non-pro-
fessional opinion, it’s probably
too late to affect sales by any
considerable degree.
Though it’s quite well known
that the pharmaceutical indus-
try spends hundreds of millions
of dollars each year in adver-
tising to private care facilities
like hospitals and clinics, until recently it was
thought public medical research was immune to an intellectual property standpoint. As research
the beast of advertising bias.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH),
the federal government’s medical research
arm, became aware last year that dozens of its
employees were conducting independent proj-
ects with private pharmaceutical and biotech-
nology firms. Though much of this research did
not violate a specific rule or policy, the premise
of business at the Bethesda, Md., laboratories
has long been exclusivity in matters of scientific
endeavor.
Believe it or not, Minnesota
has something we want here in
Oklahoma.
No, it’s not Jello with marshmal-
lows in it, Lost Lake, Minnesota
Brew or even harsh winters, it’s the
simple idea
that citizens
should be
able to reg-
ister to vote
right up to
the moment
before polls
close.
Why not?
We admit
that politicians rarely say or do
much of anything worth voting for, tion regulation on this matter only-
serves as one more example of
how the two parties want to limit
the election process to a manage-
or done earlier than a week or two able percentage of people who can
before the election.
The fact that Oklahomans have
to remember another arbitrary
date and process as a prerequisite
be manipulated and pandered to
with wedge issues and bland cam-
paigning.
Oidahoma, stuck in a party-lim-
to exercising their democratic right iting write-in-less stagnancy, falls
stands as merely another example short in the political process to a
of how neither the Republican nor state with polka music perpetually
the Democratic party really wants
STAFF COLUMN
New NIH restrictions problematic
As a result. NIH leadership, with higher all, good science builds on previous good sd-
authority from the U.S. Congress, passed a strict- ence, and public medical research has been a
er set of guidelines for conducting simultaneous successful case of that ideology until recently,
private and public NIH research that has, to say
the least, stirred much controversy.
First, research conducted at NIH or in N1H-
supported labs across the country is no small
matter. The annual NIH budget approaches
$29 billion and has risen in recent years.
Consequendy, any significant change in the way
researchers operate at NIH is cause for concern.
Second, as government pay is almost neces-
sarily lower than private-sector pay, many NIH
Munim Deen is a pre- med, microbiology
go toward relief in a hurricane-devastated area is sophomore. His column appears every other
— Why would they? Their very existence requires not the same as physically bringing supplies and “*
STUDENT VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY
u
goods for the building of a particular house, it
could not be completed without people to build it
Human beings, obviously, are the crucial part
monetarily is a very easy thing to do, provided one of any human endeavor, charitable or not In
has sufficient funds. These donations can range the arena of charitable groups and alms, people,
from pocket change in a jar next to a cash register through their time and efforts, are what drive the
benevolence.
People also make that benevolence more signif-
icant and meaningful. As helpful and essential as
monetary donations are, simply writing a check to
I
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Savage, William W., III. The Oklahoma Daily (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 91, No. 55, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 2, 2006, newspaper, November 2, 2006; Norman, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1812193/m1/4/: accessed July 4, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center.